Please stop pooping in the nesting boxes!

[Mrhein]

There was a time when the eggs were very clean and collecting was a simple process. I have introduced four new pullets into the coop last year and they are still roosting in the nesting boxes and now they are filthy and NONE of the hens are laying eggs anymore. I have a light, a run, they are not molting, what's up?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Birds older than a year will quit laying this time of year to molt and replenish themselves. Most will start back up in early spring. Lights won't stop that process. If no one is laying it's a good time to block off your nestboxes. How many roosts do you have? Generally multiple roosts at the same height, and higher than the nestboxes are preferred to keep birds from sleeping in the nestboxes.

 

[CHlCK3N]

I agree with oldhenlikesdogs!
I have a problem with pooping in nesting boxes, but we are in the process of fixing it!

 

[chickens really]

Did they ever Roost or has this habit been going on since you introduced them?...Clean and block off the nest boxes every evening...Ensure you have adequate roosting space..They will learn to Roost...

 

[theoldchick]

Roosting in nest boxes? Why? Do they have other places to roost? Clean the nest boxes, and provide clean roosts of different sizes higher than the nest boxes. Also make sure you have enough roosts at different areas in your coop. That way the lower ranked hens can roost in peace. Not all flocks get along and you can tell who likes whom when you see which birds roosts together. Then get your hands on the birds and examine their feet and make sure all is well there. Good luck! I hope this helps.

 

[member 373180]

I put curtains on my nest boxes to stop the juvvies from roosting on the edges. Seems to work.

 

[Sublight]

We tend to think of chickens as being stupid. They are not, they actually seem to have a pretty good memory in my opinion. For example.
My broody chicken was out of the pen, in my little protected nesting box for about 6 weeks total. Outside of the main pen.
When we put her and the chicks in the pen, the FIRST thing she did, is ran into the pen, and get a pellet of food, and run back out to her chicks and break it in half for them.
She remembered where the food was after being gone for a month and a half.
Also the first night she tried to roost where she used to roost. In the coop on the first rung of her roost.

Then I took her and the babies out and put them back in the little pen so they could stay under her, and that one time I moved her has been enough.
-----------------Enough of the story-------------------
My suggestion: Watch the sun, and when they are going in to roost, watch the youngsters. When they move into the nesting box, just show them to the roost, and help them up on to it. Put them kinda high on it, cause chickens seem to like it the higher the better.
Do this for a few days, and you may realize they can learn.
Remember they are teenagers, and just don't know what to do. Show them, you will be surprised how fast they learn. I WAS SHOCKED. I THOUGHT CHICKENS WERE BORDER LINE RETARDED, UNTIL I started raising them as a adult.

 

[lazy gardener]

Block the boxes every day before they go to roost. If you have a job where you can't be home to do so in the late afternoon, then, remove them from the boxes and place them on the roosts. Part of chicken management is doing what ever it takes to achieve the desired results.

I have 2 problem gals. They like to roost in the trusses of their outdoor sun room. I do an inspection every night, and either use the hose or a squirt bottle (in warmer weather) or a fiberglass fence post to nudge them down. One of them still takes refuge in the nest boxes occasionally. So, every night, when I do a final check, if she's in a box, I evict her. If she goes in the box 2 nights in a row, I resume blocking the boxes.

Sometimes, chickens of any age will choose to sleep in a nest box if they feel picked on.

Assess your flock, try to figure out why they are doing what they are doing, then correct your management to eliminate the behavior, and alter their environment to make it easier for them to do what they should be doing.

 

[PirateGirl]

Sounds like the problem started with the introduction of the newbies. For months mine roosted in two groups, the "originals" and the "newbies". Make sure there is enough roost space that they don't all have to huddle together if they don't want to. Minimum of 10 inches of roost per bird, all at the same height, the highest spot in your coop. A longer roost would be even better if possible. It gives them space to sort out pecking order squabbles. I always find it interested to see who is roosting next to who from time to time and witnesses they shove others out of the way to get there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don’t say where you are. If you are north of the equator the reason your hens have stopped laying is almost certainly the molt. Some are fast molters some slow molters. That’s genetic. It’s not how fast the feathers grow back, it’s how fast they fall out. With a fast molter you can often see bare patches. With a slow molter you generally can’t tell by looking that they are molting, but you see feathers flying around. There are other reasons you may not be getting any eggs, such as then shutting down for cold weather, then hiding a nest, or something may be getting the eggs before you do, but if it is the entire flock it is most likely the molt.

Can you post photos of the coop showing nest and roosts, hopefully both in one shot? Some dimensions in feet or meters of the coop and roosts can help. Also how many total chickens of what age? What breeds do you have? There may be something obvious we see that can help us help you get them out of the nests. Even if you got then early this year and not all the way back to last year they should not be in the nests.

A lot of us deal with them wanting to sleep in the nest and have different ways to deal with it. As long as your coop is big enough so you have some flexibility to do something in there we should be able to help. But without knowing what I’m working with I’m not ready to give a lot of advice. I’ll probably wind up repeating something others have already said but maybe I can tailor it to your situation.